Tailgate Market kick off

Published: Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 6:34 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, March 15, 2014 at 6:34 p.m.

With spring just around the corner, the Henderson County Tailgate Market kicked off its first Saturday on King Street.

Offering only Henderson County-grown produce and plants, the market began its 35th year with a sunny day.

Selling chard and kale from the back of his pickup truck was Market Manager Hal Oliver, who also welcomed guests.

“We have a lot of really good vendors here,” Oliver said. “We should have more and more people here in the couple of weeks.”

Oliver said he expects to have caterers return as the season picks up selling breakfast as well as vendors offering value-added products such as humus made from locally grown crops.

“We’re trying to remain pure in a lot of things,” Oliver said. “We don’t allow any crafts—we’re not a craft fair.”

Oliver added that mountain heritage crafts were an exception to that rule, but only so long as the majority of the vendors' products are produce.

Rachel Meriwether, 32, of the Green River valley stopped by the market to drop off her vendor application and pick up a bunch of kale from Oliver. She said she enjoys finding unusual produce at local markets.

“There are people here who bring some really great and unusual stuff that you don’t always see here,” Meriwether said. “There will be this guy with mountains and mountains of potatoes and there was one guy last year with the most amazing peppers, like big long ones and funny-shaped ones; I just can’t wait for the fresh veggies.”

Fellow farmer at Green River Preserve Phil McGlynn, 32, said he really enjoys getting to meet people and network at tailgate markets.

“You can’t buy a lot of produce in the grocery store,” McGlynn said. “It’s all the same; there’s so many more kinds of food that they sell at a grocery store. They carry three kinds of potatoes, but in reality there are five or six thousand varieties of potatoes.”

The hands-on interaction between buyers and vendors is what Meriwether said she loves most.

“I really like being able to talk to people about how to cook stuff,” Meriwether said. “I think that’s a super fun part about markets.”

The market will be open each Saturday from 7 a.m. until 12 p.m. at 100 King St. in Hendersonville.

<p>With spring just around the corner, the Henderson County Tailgate Market kicked off its first Saturday on King Street. </p><p>Offering only Henderson County-grown produce and plants, the market began its 35th year with a sunny day. </p><p>Selling chard and kale from the back of his pickup truck was Market Manager Hal Oliver, who also welcomed guests.</p><p>“We have a lot of really good vendors here,” Oliver said. “We should have more and more people here in the couple of weeks.”</p><p>Oliver said he expects to have caterers return as the season picks up selling breakfast as well as vendors offering value-added products such as humus made from locally grown crops.</p><p>“We're trying to remain pure in a lot of things,” Oliver said. “We don't allow any crafts—we're not a craft fair.”</p><p>Oliver added that mountain heritage crafts were an exception to that rule, but only so long as the majority of the vendors' products are produce.</p><p>Rachel Meriwether, 32, of the Green River valley stopped by the market to drop off her vendor application and pick up a bunch of kale from Oliver. She said she enjoys finding unusual produce at local markets. </p><p>“There are people here who bring some really great and unusual stuff that you don't always see here,” Meriwether said. “There will be this guy with mountains and mountains of potatoes and there was one guy last year with the most amazing peppers, like big long ones and funny-shaped ones; I just can't wait for the fresh veggies.”</p><p>Fellow farmer at Green River Preserve Phil McGlynn, 32, said he really enjoys getting to meet people and network at tailgate markets. </p><p>“You can't buy a lot of produce in the grocery store,” McGlynn said. “It's all the same; there's so many more kinds of food that they sell at a grocery store. They carry three kinds of potatoes, but in reality there are five or six thousand varieties of potatoes.”</p><p>The hands-on interaction between buyers and vendors is what Meriwether said she loves most.</p><p>“I really like being able to talk to people about how to cook stuff,” Meriwether said. “I think that's a super fun part about markets.”</p><p>The market will be open each Saturday from 7 a.m. until 12 p.m. at 100 King St. in Hendersonville.</p><p>“I am looking forward to the season; hopefully we got better weather than last year,” Oliver said.</p>